Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello, I am building a vivarium using the glass from an old aquarium. It has some of that residue left on it that wouldn't come off with vinegar. Is it safe to use Windex as long as I rinse it off good? I can probably get ammonia-free windex if I need to.

Also, I'm still wondering if anyone knows a good sized terrarium for breeding an azureus pair.... Is 25-27 gallons too big for one pair?
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1.1.0 Sunburst Veileds (Oscar and Lizzie)
1.1.0 Azureus darts
2.3.0 Mantids
1.0.0 Albino Pacman (Grumpy)
2.0.0 White's Tree Frogs
0.2.0 Cats (Oreo and Doodle)

i wouldn't attempt to. buying a new tank is cheaper than new frogs

If straight vinegar won't work, Windex probably won't either. The ammonia-free Windex has a vinegar (approximately 3% acetic acid) base anyway.

The deposits may be pretty well etched into the glass if straight vinegar won't remove them. You could try a long, 12to 24 hour straight vinegar soak, as it might take some time for it to react with the calcium deposits enough to remove them. Although I don't think whatever you attempt to clean the glass with (as long as frogs aren't present, of course) is going to hurt anything as long as you end it with plenty of rinsing in clear water to remove any trace of residue, and a long airing out--72 hours or so, you can't always be absolutely sure. It's not just the glass, but the silicon sealant that may absorb some of the stuff you use and is less easily rinsed away.

I've actually soaked old tanks in 2% chlorox solution overnight, rinsed, and soaked again with straight white vinegar for 14 hours, scrubbed and rinsed and then let them air outdoors in the sun for 72 hours with no problems. Diluted chlorox dissipates and breaks down with time, and is no longer present at all after a vinegar soak. Vinegar isn't toxic, and there are no fumes to annoy once it has been rinsed and aired out. Of course, you have to buy a heck of a lot of white vinegar to fill a tank. It used to be 19 cents a gallon, but is not longer that cheap.

On the other hand, if you're spending what the darts cost, it seems that what was suggested about purchasing a new tank is rational. There's an old saying among horticulturists that it is better to plant a $5.00 tree in a $30.00 hole than the reverse.
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Patty
Pahsimeroi, Idaho

4 D. auratus blue
5 D. galactonotus pumpkin orange splash back
5 D. imitator
6 D. leucomelas
4 D. pumilio Bastimentos
4 D. fantasticus
4 P. terribilis
4 D. reticulatus
4 D. castaneoticus

If the stains are really bad you can also try muratic acid used to remove stains from tile. You can get it from some of the large Home Improvement stores like Lowes or Home Depot. Follow the directions closely and use all of the safety precautions as it can be hazardous to use.

Ed

using a citrus flavored cool-aid to bleach out stains. Don't know if it works or not, but you can try it.
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phflame

Muriatic acid is full strenghth hydrochloric acid, about as dangerous as you can get to handle without knowing what you are doing. HCL is one of the really strong acids. It used to be used for some reason in cleaning up splashes of cement and grout on floor tiling. My son uses it for testing geologial samples for limestone. With all of the safety panic in the industry, I'm surprised it is still available at Lowes. It sure will clean up your tank. But be extremely careful-- use goggles and the whole bit. Why don't you just go out and by a new tank?
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Patty
Pahsimeroi, Idaho

4 D. auratus blue
5 D. galactonotus pumpkin orange splash back
5 D. imitator
6 D. leucomelas
4 D. pumilio Bastimentos
4 D. fantasticus
4 P. terribilis
4 D. reticulatus
4 D. castaneoticus

HCL is also the acid that is produced in your stomach and is more safe than many acids that are not as strong. Your skin can tolerate brief exposures to HCL that would result in nasty burns from other acids.
Many geological samples dissolve well in HCl as they contain carbonates and a strong acid will cause carbonates to react and form CO2 and H2O and a chloride salt. Many chloride salts are soluable and this allows for easier identification of the chemical composition of the rock.

Ed

Well, origingally I didn't want to buy new glass... I thought that there was maybe a simple way to clean the glass. But I'm beginning to realize that such a simple solution does not exist.

The main reason I'm doing it this way is because using old aquarium glass is increadibly cheap compared to new glass. I'm just a poor college student who's trying to keep his hobbies.

I actually have enough clean glass to make the first one, but I wanted to try to get two out of the aquarium I took apart. What I may end up doing is making the first one and for the second one just using the "dirty" glass for the back and side panels (as they are not going to be seen under coco fiber, silicone and great stuff) and just buy a small piece for the front panel.

Thanks everyone for responding! I'll try to post a picture of the final product when it's finished (give me 2 or 3 weeks)
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1.1.0 Sunburst Veileds (Oscar and Lizzie)
1.1.0 Azureus darts
2.3.0 Mantids
1.0.0 Albino Pacman (Grumpy)
2.0.0 White's Tree Frogs
0.2.0 Cats (Oreo and Doodle)

Good call. And isn't there a rule about only adding muratic acid to water and not the other way around?

You always add any strong (concentrated) acid to water, never water to a strong acid, or it may blow up in your face. This is only logical. Water is benign and an adding a bit of acid to it would merely dilute the acid in the chemical reaction that occurs between water and a concentrated acid. Adding small amounts of water to a concentrated strong acid however, sets off a chemical reaction that is undiluted by a greater amount of water. The result is heat and a possible explosion as the acid reacts with the available water. In any event, always add acid to water, not water to acid. The same is true if you are dealing with strong alkaline chemicals like concentrated potassium chloride, etc.

Vinegar is not a strong acid, however, which I think was something suggested you try for cleaning. You can drink it straight of put it on salads. It does however react with calcium deposits and is a nice ceaning reagent for the purpose of removing them.
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Patty
Pahsimeroi, Idaho

4 D. auratus blue
5 D. galactonotus pumpkin orange splash back
5 D. imitator
6 D. leucomelas
4 D. pumilio Bastimentos
4 D. fantasticus
4 P. terribilis
4 D. reticulatus
4 D. castaneoticus

.